Sorry Papa, but for me it's always been about quality, not quantity. Of course I am not in the bizness of selling records, so you may have a different outlook.

Are you implying that Midnite waz in the running for #1 selling reggae title? I don't recall a (genuine) Midnite album having been released in over 2 years now, so it wouldn't surprise me that they are 'off the charts'....

Yeah, albums like "Handsworth Revolution", "Tribute to the Martyrs" and "Roots Controller" are mere copycats. Now Max Romeo's "Wet Dream", or General Echo's "12" of Pleasure" those are "the real authentic Jamaican stuff"....

I'm curious who is buying all of the Matisyahu...is it the reggae and hip-hop oriented customers, or is it more the pop music minded customers who support whatever is hot on MTV?

St. Louis, and University City in particular, also have a large Jewish populations, including a few orthodox temples. Are you seeing this community coming in looking for Matisyahu?

I was hyping the Santa Cruz Days festival to some younger kids from the local university here in Santa Cruz, and they had never heard of Gregory, MIR or Gentleman, but they were definatley ready to throw down $40 to see Matisyahu.

His music does very little for me, but if his mainstream exposure helps to keep up attendance at reggae festivals where I can hear other serious artists, then I say bring him on.

I agree wholeheartedly with the full content and sentiment of the following above stated comment-->
--> His music does very little for me, but if his mainstream exposure helps to keep up attendance at reggae festivals where I can hear other serious artists, then I say bring him on.

--
blessid love
ras danny
higher reasoning reggae time
KBOO Portland, Full Strength Community Radio
*Love is a net that catches hearts like fish.*
-Muhammad Ali
*I don't like reggae, I love it*

Pull up, this is JUST a report from the retail trenches, y'know???
Technically, Midnite's 'Let Live' came into our store on 1/11/06.
Midnite has been a big chunk of our reggae sales for a number of
years. I did not know the Midnite-massive did not consider 'Let Live'
a full-fledged release in 05. In No Way did I intend a dis to Midnite, quite the opposite---it was more my own mild surprise to see Matis rack up the sales
he did---I was honestly surprised, and if asked what woulda been #1 in 2005 I woulda guessed 'Let Live' or a Marley title.

Daniel, OF COURSE it is about the quality---to me, and you.
But if quality was a paramount concern of the public's buying habits mebbe I'd be selling way more Delroy Wilson or Congos or whoever than Matis, & that ain't the case. And what makes my turntable at home, and my turntables on the set, pretty much NEVER coincides w/ what is #1-flavor-of-the-week/month/year.

Brother & sisters, if po' Mr Downchild Papa Ray ONLY sold what he thought came
under the heading 'Nothing But The Best, and Later For The Garbage', my store
coulda never survived. All you can do is try to carry what You Know is Quality,
and also have an eye for what else may sell, regardless of quality. Whenever
I check for an employee of mine turning up their noses @ what a customer might be buying, I remind that's how each of us get our weekly check, and as the saying goes, It's All Ear Candy. I call this R & B---Record Business.

I don't think anyone was trying to dis you papa for being the best record store in between the left and right coasts..... We all know you gotta give the people what they want, just like Warren does, even if it may not be your cup of tea. It just goes to show you that MTV, Conan and the like DO have an impact on things....

By the by Ninja & Bill, i consider you both discerning men of taste, but let me tell you both something: I've been doing my soul/blues radio show 18 years, and
am well-known for not playing crap. The person has to have a song, a feeling,
and has to have a convincing vocal. IMO, Stevie Ray Vaughan had it all, and it ain't just my opinion---a large slice of my audience in st louis IS black, and
many more times than once that, request for SRV comes from one of my black
listeners, listeners WHO KNOW this music, have seen the cream of blues & soul
players, and they nuh really go for the oke-doke. And Albert King, who I watched and knew for a number of decades 'round these parts(he lived around here
long long time), LOVED SRV, and by nature he was not a man to embrace another player, certainly one coming so heavily out of his style. Vaughan very cannily fused Hendrix w/ Albert(and mastered many other styles) to create a convincing style. And he obviously felt what he sang. i recommend the Albert/Jimmy set
'In Session' for a great insight into the classic 'Fathers & Sons' dynamic. I would
especially direct Ninja &Bill to Albert's sage comments and encouragements to
the younger player.

maybe it is me..but Virgin Island/st croix/whatever reggae just does not seem right to me..prolly a bias..I could always accept british reggae 'cause most of those artists were first generation JA or transplanted Jamaicans.

I hav ta agree with ya papa ray, SRV was da s#@t, pure an simple... nun can rilly touch his passion, determination, and style; while mimicing others somewhat, he had his own ingredient to make the brew POTENT!!! nuh question Hendrix mashed it up far and away what sum can only dream of in these daze... bless deh memories, cas dem gimme sum, great ones! & the Icebreaker, ....whew!!!

--
blessid love
ras danny
higher reasoning reggae time
KBOO Portland, Full Strength Community Radio
*Love is a net that catches hearts like fish.*
-Muhammad Ali
*I don't like reggae, I love it*

Daniel, who coulda guessed the surprise runner in dis woulda been a hasidic
cat from brooklyn??? As far as slack rekkuds, as an astute observer once stated,
'slackness chases culture', and I admit there are some 'slack' records(such as
Maxie's 'Dream') I'm rather fond of. But then, I'm a bald-head selecta' who's
promoted both Rudy Ray Moore and Israel Vibration in my life, and the Dolemite won hands-down as a nice-guy, no-pain-in-the-ass-professional, so what does that say?

Trinity, your surmise certainly is on the mark---fact is,
I made sure every Jewish community contact in the Louie got a press release.

quite, thank you Bill it has been a while since we have "spoken".. Point being it isn't the package, it is the product. Matis is legit. I see why somepeople don't like him and it is all good, but to not like an aritist because of the kind of people who listen to him seesm strange seeing as you know Joe College is the Number 1 buyer of all BMW's music

Actually matt, he did sets w/ Little Richard & the original Isley Brothers,
and fill-in one nighters w/ I think w/ The Ike&Tina Review. At that time,
at least the latter two acts would have been working in all-black venues.
Don't know if I'd call that 'chitlin' necessarily, but sho' nuff R&B.

Ninja, my sarcasm filter musta been turned off. Any chance you making that U-Roy set in SF?? If so, I would enjoy meeting you.

hendrix was actually "around" a whole lot longer than four years. he was "around" like papa ray says and what i was referring to earlier by "chitlin circuit" were his days as backup for curtis knight, a mainstay on the chitlin circuit. in fact when hendrix was "around", several curtis knight albums that included "james" hendrix in the band were issued really exploiting hendrix's name in their billing.

generally speaking, big artists like hendrix dont just come out of nowhere, though those less familiar with their actual background may assume so. most work their way up the hard way, especially in the blues into pop genre.

all you guys who are "unsure" of this talent.............
have you seen him live and up close?
............
the dif. in Midnite and Matis.,
jumpin' and meditation is the truth!
Midnite, ya check and listen, think and meditation.(etc.etc....)
Matis. has words, music and da jumpin' vibes!!
Livin' in Igene we get the small town, intimate vibes.
There is NO voice like Vaughn's voice!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and Matis. has some original, irie vibes
JAH KNOW